Paneer Masala - Paneer masala with home-made paneer. Paneer based dishes are always my son's favourite, be it paneer masala or paneer butter masala or paneer pulao/biryani/fried rice, paneer 65. This masala is easy to make if you have all the required ingredients in your pantry. Moreover this is a one - pot dish, I made it using my 2 ltr pressure cooker. I ve made it healthier also by using an alternative for cream. This doesn't mean that I totally avoided using cream but used in smaller quantities. The whole process takes only 30 minutes, if you have the paneer ready.
Ingredients:
Paneer - l made paneer by using 1 ltr of milk.
Vegetables - Regular big sized onions are used. Normally shallots are not used for North Indian masala gravies.
Tomatoes - Big red, ripe tomatoes are used. Country varieties not to be used.
Spices - Ginger, garlic, green chillies are used.
Seeds - Sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, charoli, shah are used. The seeds are rich are omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. They also contain protein and a good source of manganese and folate. Watermelon seeds good for maintaining bone density. Charoli seeds are good for weight loss.
Spice powders - Home-made coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala are used along with red chilli powder, turmeric powder. You can use store- bought also. Kashmiri red chilli powder imparts a nice orange-red colour to the dish. So don't skip it. I didn't have so i've not used it.
Salt - Fine pink salt is used. White salt can also be used.
Herbs - Coriander leaves, dried kasuri methi are used.
Diary - Milk and milk cream are used.
Nuts - Cashews are used.
Oils and fats - Ghee is used. You can use any neutrally flavoured oil or a combination of oil and ghee for the entire process.
Method:
- Grind onions and tomatoes with spice powders. Pressure cook.
- Add the pastes and paneer. Cook for a few minutes.
- Garnish with milk cream and coriander leaves
Suggested Serving:
Serve with naan, roti, kulcha, parathas or with pulao varieties. I served it with triangle paratha.
Storage:
Stays good for a day in the fridge.
Reheat:
Reheat in a microwave for 20 seconds.
Vegan:
Substitute milk, milk cream, butter with any of these:
- Coconut milk and cream
- Soya milk and curd
- Paneer with tofu
- Almond milk and almond butter
- Peanut milk and peanut butter
- Cashew milk and curd
Equipment used: Pressure cooker/pan, blender, tawa(optional).
You may also try:
Pre-preparation:
Home-made paneer from 1 ltr of milk. Soak the seeds in 1/2 cup of milk for 15-20 minutes.
Recipe:
Total time taken: 30 minutes (excluding paneer preparation time).
No. Of servings: 3
Ingredients with measurements:
Paneer - 200 gm
To grind:
Paste 1:
Onions - 3-4(medium and small)
Tomatoes - 2( big)
Ginger - 1"
Garlic - 5 cloves
Green chilli - 1
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala -1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
To soak and grind:
Paste 2:
Pumpkin seeds - 1 tsp
Sunflower seeds - 1 tsp
Watermelon seeds - 1 tsp
Almondette seeds( Charoli )- 1 tsp(optional)
Cashews - 4/5
Milk - 1/2 cup
Milk cream - 1 tbsp
kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Seasoning:
Ghee - 2 tsp
Shahjeera - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Garnish:
Coriander leaves - a few sprigs.
Directions:
1. Chop the vegetables.
2.Take chopped onions, tomatoes, green chilli, ginger garlic, spice powders in a blender jar.
3. Grind to a smooth paste.
4. Heat ghee in the cooker/pan, add shahjeera, bay leaf.
5. Add the paste 1.
6. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on high and 3 on low. Allow to cool down.
7. Grind the seeds with milk(paste 2) to a fine paste.
8. Open the lid of the pressure cooker, stir the mixture, add salt, paste 2.
9. Adjust the consistency by adding milk or water.
10. Heat a tawa. Add a tsp of oil and toast paneer for a few minutes(optional).
11. Add crushed kasuri methi, paneer. Cook for a few minutes. Add milk cream.
12. Boil for a minute. Switch off the flame.
13. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Note:
- Do not cook for longer time after adding seeds as they will lose their nutritional value. Just 1 or 2 minutes will do.
- Allow to cook for a few seconds after adding milk cream.
- Paneer can be deep-fried or shallow- fried and added.
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